New App Helps People Remember Faces

    Large gatherings such as weddings and meetings can be socially Q flooded with people. Learning people's names only adds to the stress. A new facial-recognition app could come to the rescue, but experts suggest people should be careful while using it.

    The app, called SocialRecall, connects names with faces through smartphone cameras and facial recognition, avoiding the need for formal introductions. "It breaks down these social barriers we all have when meeting somebody, "says Barry Sandrew, who created the app and tested it at an event attended by about 1, 000 people.

    After receiving an invitation to download SocialRecall from an event organizer, the user is asked to take two selfies and sign in through social media. At the event, the app is active within a previously set geographical area. When a user points his or her phone camera at an attendee's face, the app identifies the person, displays the person's name, and links to his or her social media information. To protect Privacy, it recognizes only those who have agreed to use. And the app's creators say it automatically removes users' data after an event.

    Ann Cavoukian, a expert who runs the Privacy by Design Center of Excellence praises the app's creators for these protective measures. She added, however, that when people choose to share their personal information with the app, they should know that "there may be unexpected results down the road with that information being used in another situation that might come back to bite you."

    The start-up project has developed the app for people who suffer from prosopagnosia, or "face blindness, "a condition that prevents people from recognizing people they have met. To use this app, a person first receives an image of someone's face, from either the smartphone's camera or a photograph, and then tags it with a name. When the camera spots or recognizes that same face in real life, the previously entered information is displayed. The collected data are stored only on a user's phone, according to the team behind the app.

    You and I can tell one face from another easily, but can computers do the same with few mistakes? At an earlier time, many thought it was impossible, but progress in facial recognition(识别)software has made it come true. Technology is quickly catching up with the human ability to read faces.

    Some facial recognition systems use a digital picture and measure(测量) different points on the face. Measurements include the distance between the eyes, the width of the nose, the length of the jaw(下巴) line and more. A detailed map, or faceprint, of the face is developed, stored and later used as a basis for comparison and matching.

    Some government agencies, airports and banks use facial recognition technology for safety purposes. Apple and Facebook use it to provide their users with added convenience. For example, Apple's new iPhone is expected to use it to unlock the home screen. Other companies use it to help them in better recognizing their customers' needs. For example, some stores are checking into the use of the technology to catch sight of return customers. Then they can offer special deals, based on the customers' buying habits.

    In America, facial recognition is used by universities to check students' attendance. This year Welsh police used it to catch a terrorist outside a football game. In China it checks on the identities of ride-hailing drivers, permits tourists to enter some places of interest quickly and lets people pay for things with a smile.

    While some systems are used with the knowledge of the persons, others aren't, and that raises worries. For many people, however, convenience outbalances the worries, in other words, meaning that facial recognition technology is likely here to stay.

People in Firenze are talking happily about the new shopping mall. The new shopping mall is just outside the city, next to the city's train station. And over 70 stores are open in the mall.

People like going shopping there because there are two big supermarkets.There are also many clothes stores for them. There's a bookshop, and there are two glasses stores. There are two toy stores, and there are seven restaurants.There's even a large cinema.

Almost everyone in Firenze is excited because the new shopping mall is now open. But some people are unhappy. Do you know who they are? They are the owners(店主) of the stores in the center of the city. Many people aren't shopping in their stores but at the new mall.

A. Choose the best answers.
B. Answer the questions.

Do you like sports? Do you want to make friends? Come to the clubs!

 The capybara, a kind of animal from South America, is the largest living rodent(啮齿目动物) in the world. It lives along the lakes and rivers. It can grow up to about 1.3m etres long and weigh up to 79kg. It looks like a large mouse with a big nose, strong legs, small ears and a very short tail. Usually mouse-like animals may not be welcomed by other animals but the capybara always has a lot of different animals around it, because it's friendly to them. Do you know what makes the capybara such a friendly animal?

 As the largest rodent animal in the world, the capybara has only a few enemies(敌人). Because of this, it spends most of the day swimming in the water and lying by the river, together with other animals. It lives such a comfortable life that nothing seems to make it worry.

 For most animals, it's safe to stay around the capybara. The capybara never eats meat. It mainly eats fruit and some plants, so it won't hurt other animals. The capybara can even help other animals to keep safe. It can notice the danger more easily and the strong legs can help it run away more quickly. When other animals see that, they can also hide(躲藏) themselves in time.

 Sometimes, the capybara is happy to be"the animal bus". It's common to see other animals riding on the back of a capybara. That's because these animals can help make the capybara clean by eating the lice(虱子) on its body.

 Now the capybara is also becoming popular among people. Some people love the capybara so much that they want to keep it as a pet.

If you' re into sports, you' ve seen it happen — tennis players jump over the net to shake hands after a hard match; football players exchange jerseys(运动衣) after ninety minutes of knocking each other around; even boxers touch gloves at the beginning of each round. Players in every event, from spelling bees to golf, act in this way. It's all part of sportsmanship(体育精神), a great tradition in sports and competition. It means playing and being calm all through the match.

 Everyone feels great when they win. In the last few years, you might see some players celebrate a goal with a long victory dance or talk big about their ability. However, it's always hard for people to say in public that they made a bad play. Good sportsmanship is what they really need. It's the golden rule of sports.

Good sportsmanship means that you play by the rules, talk politely to everyone during games and stay cool even when you lose the game. At the school sports meeting, for example, it's more important for you to know how to work as part of a team and cheer your teammates on. That may help you enjoy more success at your future work. In competition— as in life— you may not always win, but believe me, sportsmanship will help you get through, and there is always the next match.